1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine. Particularly, the present invention relates to a configuration of a gaming machine provided with a housing including an opening on the front face and a front door that covers the opening.
2. Related Art
Generally, a slot machine, which is kind of a gaming machine, is provided with a housing including an opening on the front face and a front door, which can be freely opened and closed. A reel unit that variably displays a plurality of symbols is provided on the top part of the inside of the housing, for example. Furthermore, a hopper, which can store and discharge medals as a game medium, and a power supply box are disposed at the bottom part of the inside of the housing. The front door is at least provided with a display window through which the plurality of symbols can be observed. The hopper can be replenished with medals by opening the front door. Furthermore, inside of the housing and inside of the front door can be inspected or maintained by opening the front door.
For example, a slot machine is developed, which has the following features: It is possible to maintain the gaming machine in good condition in regards to preventing fraudulent acts by wrongdoers while the front door is opened. In addition, the slot machine includes a front door that can be easily opened and closed, allowing staff to replenish medals easily and smoothly in the hall where slot machines are disposed in juxtaposition to each other. (ex., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-298227).
The gaming machine according to Patent Document 1 is provided with a front door that covers the front face in a manner in which the front door can be easily opened and closed. In an upper portion and a lower portion of the gaming machine, the front door is separated into an upper door and a lower door. The lower door can be opened and closed independently from the upper door. The upper door is pivotally coupled to the housing and covers the reel unit stored inside the housing. The lower door can be slid forward and backward, and covers a hopper and a power supply box. The gaming machine is configured so that when the lower door is pulled forwardly out, the hopper and the spare tank, which is an attachment of the hopper, come out to the front side of the housing with the lower door.
Generally, a front door of a slot machine is provided with the display portion including the display window formed substantially flat. The display portion is disposed in an upper portion of the front door. The display portion is not projecting frontward significantly. On the other hand, the operation portion, which includes a start lever and the like to start a plurality of reels, is disposed below the display portion and projects from the front door in a trapezoidal-body shape. The operation part projects frontward farther than the display portion.
The front door of the slot machine is integrally configured with the display portion and the operation portion. Furthermore, the one side of the front door is coupled to a housing with a hinge or the like. When the front door is rotated open, the projecting operation portion strikes a slot machine disposed adjacent, whereby the front door cannot be opened sufficiently, and a case may occur in which replenishment of medals or maintenance is not easy to handle. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, the front door is separated into the upper door and the lower door. The upper door, which is provided with a display portion, is configured to be rotatable, and the lower door, which is provided with the operation portion, is configured to be slidably moved back and forward. With such a configuration, the case described above can be prevented.
However, the front door of the slot machine according to Patent Document 1 is configured so that the lower door is opened by pulling out forwardly. The lower door projecting forwardly is disposed at a position corresponding to a lumbar part or abdominal part of the human body. Therefore, a worker needs to bend his/her body to inspect or maintain the inside of the housing, or the inside of the front door and this configuration causes inconvenience. With the configuration in which the projecting operation portion can be moved backward, the front door can be opened sufficiently. Furthermore, it becomes convenient for the worker to inspect or maintain the inside of the housing while the front door is opened.
In addition, the slot machine according to Patent Document 1 is configured so that the lower door is moved in conjunction with the hopper. The hopper fully filled with medals becomes substantially heavy, and so pulling out the lower door becomes difficult. Furthermore, it is not preferable since a substantial inertial force, which impacts the housing, is generated when pushing in the lower door to the housing. The hopper is preferably secured to the inside of the housing. Therefore, the foregoing is a problem to be solved by the present invention.